Monthly Archives: January 2015

I was recently offered the opportunity to review Jamberry nail wraps, and then host a giveaway so a lucky reader could give them a shot. Because I’ll try just about anything once, I love free stuff, and I really like doing giveaways… Of course I said yes.

Now, back when I used to work in a jewelry store I got into the habit of getting my nails done…I had a standing appointment every two weeks with my favorite guy. I always got short acrylics with either French tips or OPI’s Waitress (it will forever be the perfect nail color, in my opinion) because I wanted to make sure they looked classy. After all, when you’re a girl working in a jewelry store you are often asked to model things for customers…I didn’t want to lose a big engagement ring sale because my nails were snaggly and gross.

After I moved on from that job I fell out of the habit. In fact…I don’t think I’ve had my nails done since. I do occasionally paint my nails myself, but that’s a rare occasion because let’s face it…I’m usually too lazy to bother.

I’d seen Jamberry wraps before…but I never considered trying them myself until now. After getting an email from my new pal (and Jamberry consultant) Courtney, I checked out her website. There are so many choices that it took me quite a while to decide on a design I liked, but I finally narrowed it down to Midnight Celebration and eagerly awaited their arrival.

When they came (pretty quickly, I should add!), I ripped the envelope open and ooohed and ahhhhed over them for a bit. They were every bit as lovely as they had been on the website. For some reason, I had almost expected them to look cheap and tacky but they definitely weren’t.

Because I tend to fly by the seat of my pants, I didn’t bother to read the directions in advance. Instead, I waited until O was down for the evening and assembled what I thought would be the necessary tools for application.

Wine is a necessary tool in many aspects of life.

After gathering the stuff I thought I needed, I picked up the package and read the instructions. I remembered that I needed rubbing alcohol or white vinegar to wipe my nails off…and of course we were out of both.

Lucky for me, The BF ran out to his shop and brought back acetone. Ok, so now we can start sticking these puppies on!

I tried to get a photo or two of the actual application of the nails, but it’s really hard to focus a camera when you’re holding a hair dryer between your knees and attempting to apply a nail wrap. I would’ve asked The BF, but he is the kind that will just take a quick, blurry picture and wander away. Plus, he was too busy helping, because he’s “applied a few decals to a number of vehicles, and that’s basically what you’re doing.” Use your imagination to picture the actual application, and feel free to add a few curse words being said because, totally.

Once I got the hang of the application process, it wasn’t so bad. It was more involved than I originally thought it would be (I’ll be honest, I was expecting more of a peel-and-stick method), but nothing worse than applying nail polish and way cheaper than going to a salon. Plus, there was no horrible nail salon smell to contend with. Am I the only one that gets the sneezes in nail salons?

Once I finished the last nail, I spent a good fifteen minutes walking around with my fingers splayed and refusing to touch anything because, hey, fresh manicure. The BF gave me a funny look and asked, “Aren’t they stickers?” and suddenly I realized I was being careful for no reason. Whoops!

I’m currently on day four of my Jamberry experience and I can’t believe that they haven’t chipped at all. Like, even with the bubbles I didn’t quite get out of the first one I applied…And even though I didn’t quite pick the right size for my thumb nails. Nope, these puppies are still going strong and I’m finding myself a bit converted.I’m not going easy on them, either…I’ve done dishes, laundry, typed, changed diapers, picked my face (I’m just being honest, here), peeled open spice containers, and all sorts of other things that would ruin regular nail polish.

I can see these being a great way to have snazzed-up nails for an event…And I’m saving the remaining wraps for my toes because I hear you can really get some miles out of them that way.

So… At this point in my Jamberry experience I’m surprised to say that I give ’em two snazzily decorated thumbs up. I’m really glad that I like them so much because remember the giveaway I mentioned?

One lucky reader will win two wraps AND a full application kit (pictured below). How awesome is that? Entering is super easy and only involves two steps!

Well, maybe three if you haven’t liked my Facebook page yet. But that’s silly, because I know you have!

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I have been trying (and largely failing) to stay away from red meat lately… I think eating it in large quantities is probably bad for you no matter what, but I’ve been told (by a doctor from The Doctors) that it’s thought to be a contributing factor in fibroid development.

I’m not trying to go through that mess again.

The problem is, I kind of love red meat. Last week we had chili and Salisbury steaks…Cow and more cow. I decided Friday night would be a good night for chicken…but The BF sent me a text early that afternoon suggesting we go out for Chinese. I ate beef and broccoli in garlic sauce. Mooooooo

Saturday night I finally made some chicken and man am I glad I did. This was delicious and pretty easy, even with a toddler literally sitting on my feet while I cooked.

I’m not saying I want to give up beef (right now I so badly want a giant, juicy cheeseburger), but I will gladly eat more chicken if I can drown it in a delightful lemon cream sauce…

To begin, heat a little oil in a skillet over medium-high heat, and add 1 tablespoon of butter. Sprinkle Greek seasoning over both sides of chicken, then dredge it in flour. Give it a shake, then arrange the chicken in your hot pan and cook for about 6 minutes on each side (or until your meat thermometer reads at least 165°). Remove chicken to a baking sheet, cover with foil, and place it in a warm oven (I stuck it in while my oven preheated to 375° for the garlic knots) while you make the sauce.

Turn the heat down to medium and drop your remaining tablespoon of butter into the pan. When it’s melted, add onion and mushrooms. Give it about 5-10 minutes, then add the garlic. After about 5 minutes, deglaze the pan with chicken stock and stir. Let that bubble and reduce by about half. Pour in half of your lemon juice and the cream, let it come to a bubble, then add the chicken back to the pan. Toss in some parsley and fresh-cracked pepper and turn the heat down a bit so the sauce thickens. Before serving, taste the sauce and add more lemon if necessary.

I served mine over spaghetti, but you could use rice or even spaghetti squash. Sprinkle some grated parmesan over it, throw in a salad and some garlic bread, and you have a delicious (and cow-free!) dinner that even your toddler will love.

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I happen to think Nutella is quite possibly one of the most delicious things on the planet, so when I ended up with this Jif salted caramel hazlenut spread as part of our Christmas stuff I was super excited.

My MIL is the best.

O and I thoroughly enjoyed putting this stuff on almost everything, but I was afraid it would go bad before we could eat it all…the jar looks small but this stuff is pretty rich.

At first I thought about brownies, but then I discovered some white chocolate chips hanging out in the freezer and suddenly I wanted cookies.

I mean…O wanted cookies. Yeah.

I think you could use any hazlenut spread in these, so if you can’t find the salted caramel flavor don’t worry.

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It snowed last night. Now, I don’t know where all of you are reading this from, but it tends to do that around this time in Indiana. Like, pretty much every year.

Still, every single year people freak out and stampede to the store the second a weatherman even mentions the s-word. I stopped at the store on my way home from a doctor appointment yesterday because we needed milk (we always need milk…) and the shelves were looking pretty bare.

Also, people buy the weirdest stuff before snow. There were lots of empty spots in the liquor/wine section, and half of the ice cream was gone. I’m guessing a lot of people thought they were getting snowed in, so probably a lot of people are hating life right now because they’re at work with a hangover.

This morning, I looked outside and saw that we did indeed have a fair amount of snow on the ground. It was really nothing major, but I still said a silent thank you that I didn’t have to bother with driving to work in it.

See, before I became a stay at home mom I worked for years in the Indianapolis/Carmel area and had at least an hour commute on a good day. When winter hit, I would be sure to keep bottles of water in my car along with extra clothes and snacks just in case I got stranded. I would leave two hours before I had to be at work on bad days. Sometimes even that wasn’t enough, but I was usually lucky enough to have an understanding boss.

The winter I moved back home from Texas was pretty snowy, and I often found myself in the middle of a two-hour drive. One such morning was especially nerve-wracking after I saw a number of cars slide off of the road and, on one occasion, spin out an narrowly miss hitting me. Once I was off of the interstate, I hit some major congestion due to the slow traffic. I was doing my best to keep as much space between me and the car in front of me when I checked my rearview and noticed a powder blue single cab pickup that seemed to be intent on climbing up my tailpipe. Annoyed, I carefully tapped the brake. He just got closer, and then he started swerving to the right and left as if he were going to go around me. This went on for a few miles, until he finally got an opening in the left lane and went flying by me. What a jerk.

I was only about 30 minutes late when I finally got to work, and a coworker asked how the drive went. I rolled my eyes and told him about the tailgaiting bag of douche I encountered just as some guy walked out of the back room with a grin on his face.

“You drive a black Jetta, Texas plates?”

“…it’s actually dark blue.”

“Well honey, I know you probably didn’t see much of that white stuff where you come from, but you live in Indiana now. You’re gonna hafta learn how to drive in it or stay home in your little jammies.”

At this point, my coworkers eyebrows completely disappeared into his hairline as he clapped a hand over his mouth.

“Actually, I was only in Texas for two years…I was born and raised in Indiana and I learned how to drive in the snow just fine. I think you need a few lessons on not riding someone’s ass in shitty road conditions, and maybe a couple on how not to be a condescending dickwad. Also, what kind of grown man drives a powder blue pickup?!”

I walked away as he rolled his eyes at me and let my coworker know he’d be back, he just had to get something from his office…turned out he was there to fix the lights in the back room.

A few hours went by and I had all but forgotten the interaction when Mr. Douchenozzle himself walked back in… And this time, his smug smile had been replaced by a bit of a sheepish look.

“Miss, I owe you a big apology. After I left here, I was in a hurry and this old lady was going real slow in front of me. I must have been a little too close, ’cause she tried to stop all of a sudden and dammit if I didn’t plow right into her. Anyway, everyone’s fine but I guess you were right.”

With that, he went to the back room, finished his work, and left without speaking another word to anyone.

We’re expecting a bit of a winter storm this afternoon and evening, so it may take a couple of days for me to get to the post office…but rest assured! As soon as the roads clear you prize will be on the way to you!

By the way…I picked the winner using my super-scientific method of writing names on slips of paper and then having my mom draw one from a hat.

Congrats to Mari!

Wasn’t that fun? If you didn’t win, you’ll have another opportunity soon…I’m doing another fun beauty giveaway that involves fun nail art. Wheeeeeee!